Universal's Harry Potter Diagon Alley has soft opening

Diagon Alley finally had a soft opening for the general public Thursday afternoon, as Universal Orlando let visitors without hotel packages into the new Harry Potter land.

Universal did not give information about what the soft opening schedule will be throughout this weekend. It has advised guests to watch social media for information. The expansion of the Wizarding World of Harry Potter will officially open Tuesday.

"If you plan to visit before the July 8 Grand Opening, please understand that the hours are limited, and access to shops and food venues may vary — not everything may be open all the time," Universal said on its blog.

"I was in Diagon Alley for a bit and I watched our guests cheer when the dragon breathed fire and smile as they tasted Butterbeer ice cream, as well as explore all the shops," Universal spokesman Tom Schroder said in an email. "It was great."

Guests did not, however, get a chance to try the signature attraction, the Harry Potter and the Escape from Gringotts ride.

"If it was open, that would be the first thing" to visit, said Daniel Germain, 25, an Orlando Latin teacher who has been waiting outside Diagon Alley each day for weeks in the hopes of being one of the first people in. "They have a sign out front saying it wont be open until July 8."

His friend Megan Stump, a 34-year-old elementary-school music teacher from Davenport, said she was not disappointed.

"It was kind of a relief," said Stump, who tried the Hogwarts Express on Tuesday. "As much as I want to ride it, it didn't have to be my first priority when I came in there. I was just able to enjoy myself."

Stump said the attraction has been worth the wait.

"Diagon Alley itself is just absolutely gorgeous," she said. "I've forgotten I'm in Universal. There's no possible way I'm in a theme park. It's almost too real."

The crowds were not too intense, Stump said.

The friends checked out shops and ate at the Leaky Cauldron restaurant. Germain has been trying out all the different spells you can cast throughout the park with an interactive wand.

The new area has been gradually unveiled at Universal Orlando. Earlier this week, guests who had purchased special Harry Potter-themed hotel packages were able to get unfettered access to the park, including the Gringotts ride. On Tuesday, regular park guests with tickets allowing park-to-park access were able to try out the Hogwarts Express train linking the Harry Potter lands in each park. The original Wizarding World opened in 2010 at Universal's Islands of Adventure.